Nigeria and West Africa: from a Regional Security Complex to a Regional Security Community?

Abstract

The Economic Community Cease-fire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was created by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in 1990 at the beginning of the civil war in Liberia. This war concluded in 1997 with the election of Charles Taylor as president. In February 1998 ECOMOG also helped restore to power the government of President Achmed Tejan Kabbah in neighbouring Sierra Leone, who had been ousted in a coup on 25 May 1997. In Sierra Leone, ECOMOG is still fighting the remaining parts of the military junta and its allies in the Revolutionary United Front (RUF).²

An earlier version of this chapter was presented at IPSA Study Group III ‘New World Orders?’ Workshop on Globalisms and Regionalisms, 6–8 August 1998, University of Oslo, Norway. Comments from the participants are highly appreciated.